Spider-kinden
About Spider-kinden are a slim, pale, elegant race known for their ability to rise to the top of society no matter the circumtances. Expert influencers and manipulators, Spiders are a force to be reckoned with the world over, but nowhere more so than than in their vast dominion, the Spiderlands. Spider-kinden society is complex and matriarchal, with women holding all the most important positions of power. Spider-kinden are almost exclusively aristocracy in the Spiderlands, with many noble families vying for power in a constant, shifting 'dance' whilst slaves of other kinden tend to their needs. When war is called for, the Spiders can deploy whole armies of other kinden from their satrapy cities to fight for them, overseeing the battles but never shedding a drop of blood themselves. Their first and foremost concern is always the standing of their house within the 'dance', and in Spider politics deception and betrayal come as easily as breathing. Spider-kinden society is highly stratified, with many complex rules governing behaviour. Failure is punished ruthlessly with loss of standing and even exile. Spider-kinden are addicted to politics, making them experts in diplomacy and espionage, and have been known to infiltrate the secret services of other powers and manipulate them for their own ends, navigating the 'amateur' plots and counter-plots of other races with ease. Indeed, Spider-kinden sometimes joke that they complicate their own plots simply because they can, and while said in jest this is probably the truth. Spider-kinden are Inapt, but unlike the other Inapt powers of the Days of Lore they survived the Apt Revolution with their dominance intact. To this day the noble families of the Spiderlands control vast numbers of slaves, and while they cannot use or understand technology themselves they appreciate its effectiveness and employ their slave races to develop and manufacture it for them. Spiders have a long-running feud with Mantis-kinden, its origins so far back in the mists of time that they have been forgotten. Cities Spider-kinden rule all of the many cities in the Spiderlands, the capitol of which is Golden Skaetha. Nearest to the Lowlands are Siennis, Everis and Seldis, the latter of which came under siege during the First Lowlands War. Spiders also control Porta Mavralis on the western coast of the Exalsee, as well as the city of Solarno, which is considered a backwater haven for those noble families who fall out of the 'dance' and need somewhere else to inhabit and rule. Art All Spider-kinden are expert manipulators, able to make anyone they can charm slaves to their will. Many of them can cling to surfaces with their hands and feet, while some can generate silk between their fingers. Others can summon a pair of small bone spines between their knuckles when their fist is clenched, to which poison can be added. Spider-kinden magicians use magic to enhance their powers of manipulation and secrecy. Some, known as Manipuli, can change their entire appearance at will, even to the point of immitating another kinden's Art. This makes the range of abilities available to a skilled Manipuli almost unlimited. Category:Kinden Category:Spiders